Nature

All posts in the Nature category

The smile of a child, laughter, tears of joy, a hug, the purr of a kitten, a dogs wagging tail, birds singing in the trees, the warmth of the sun on your face, the smell of freshly baked bread, coffee, a freshly cut grass, sunrise and sunset

Waves crashing on the rocks, the surf on a sandy beach, the rain on a window, fresh garden flowers, a walk in the woods, the sound of a gentle stream, the winds rustling through bamboo leaves, fish splashing on a still pond, the call of a dove, the unconditional love from your dog, the call from a loved one

A romantic meal for two, watching the stars together, planning a vacation, the love of a child, parents past and present, family, friends, enjoying your work, a good nights sleep, food on the table, meditation, love, romance.

Please take time out to watch this wonderful Ted Talk by Frans Lanting, his wonderful pictures and story will take you through the creation of earth and the importance of us all coming together as one for its protection and future life for our families.

Walk outside on a summer’s day
Sit yourself down and relax
Feel the warmth of the sun on your face
The gentle breeze in the air
Close your eyes and breathe deep breaths
In through your nose, out through your nose

Concentrate you attention and awareness of your breath
In, Out…In, Out
Notice the fragrances of life in your breath
The sweetness of nectar in the air
Freshly mown grass, bringing new life
The sap on the trees from the lungs of our world
The musky, fruity scent of roses in bloom
Mint, Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender too

Evoke your senses and develop your skills
Concentrate your awareness
Breathe deeply, In, Out….In, Out
The scent evokes and awakens your taste
Maybe the taste of tea from a tea rose
The sweetness of pear, apples or fig
The citrus of oranges or lemon

Life and your senses are a wonderful thing and in your control
Invoke your senses
Enjoy nature, enjoy life

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

“Connection with gardens, even small ones, even potted plants, can become windows to the inner life. The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer.”
– Patricia R. Barrett, The Sacred Garden

“The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience.”
– Henryk Skolimowski

“Even before I could speak, I remember crawling through blueberry patches in the wild meadows on our hillsides. I quickly discovered Nature was filled with Spirit; I never saw any separation between Spirit and Nature. Much later I discovered our culture taught there was supposed to be some kind of separation – that God, Spirit and Nature were supposed to be divided and different. However, at my early age it seemed absolutely obvious that the church of the Earth was the greatest church of all; that the temple of the forest was the supreme temple. When I went to the sanctuary of the mountain, I found Earth’s natural altar – Great Spirit’s real shrine. Years later I discovered that this path of going into Nature, bonding deeply with it, and seeing Spirit within Nature – God, Goddess, and Great Spirit – was humanity’s most ancient, most primordial path of spiritual cultivation and realization.”
– John P. Milton, Sky Above, Earth Below

“In all things of nature there is something marvellous.”
– Aristotle

“In the assemblies of the enlightened ones there have been many cases of mastering the Way bringing forth the heart of plants and trees; this is what awakening the mind for enlightenment is like. The fifth patriarch of Zen was once a pine-planting wayfarer; Rinzai worked on planting cedars and pines on Mount Obaku. … Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment.”
– Dogen Zenji, Japanese Zen Buddhist Grand Master , Awakening the Unsurpassed Mind, #31

Scent is the most potent and bewitching substance in the
gardener’s repertory and yet it is the most neglected and
least understood. The faintest waft is sometimes enough
to induce feelings of hunger or anticipation, or to transport
you back through time and space to a long-forgotten moment
in your childhood. It can overwhelm you in an instant or simply
tease you, creeping into your consciousness slowly and
evaporating almost the moment it is detected. Each fragrance,
whether sweet or spicy, light or heavy, comes upon you
in its own way and evokes its own emotional response.
– Stephen Lacey, Scent in Your Garden, 1991

To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers
is a delectable form of defeat.
– Beverly Nichols

I go to nature to be soothed and healed,
and to have my senses put in order.
– John Burroughs

My lilac trees are old and tall;
I cannot reach their bloom at all.
They send their perfume over trees
And roof and streets, to find the bees.
– Lousie Driscoll, 1875 – 1957, My Garden Is a Pleasant Place

Its time to spread some happiness
Its time to spread some joy
Its time to place a smile on your face
Its time to give hugs for free
Its time to help your neighbors
Its time to call your family
Its time to say I Love You
Its time to give a donation to charity
Its time to volunteer at your local homeless center
Its time to plant a tree
Its time to save the Whale
Its time to pick up litter
Its time to protest against war
Its time to stop honor killings
Its time to care for our planet
Its time to help the aged
Its time to pay a fair days pay
Its time to rescue an animal from a shelter
Its time to stand up for Women’s rights
Its time to stand up for Gay rights
Its time to stop wasting money

Its time to take control of our lives
Its time to stop listening to the media
Its time to stop wasting energy
Its time to stop global warming
Its time to listen to our ancestors
Its time to agree to disagree
Its time to stop religion-to-religion fighting
Its time to stop corporate greed
Its time to clean up our act
Its time to stop and think
Its time to meditate
Its time to care about humanity

Its time to stop deforestation
Its time to stop Monsanto
Its time to stop GMO
Its time to clean up our Oceans
Its time to end poverty and hunger
Its time to educate every child
Its time to love one another
Its time to sort out political greed and dishonesty
Its time to sort out pollution
Its time to choose renewable energy
Its time to recycle
Its time to change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs
Its time to turn off your electric gadgets at night
Its time to hang out your washing instead of using the dryer
Its time to go vegetarian for 1 day a week
Its time to rethink bottled water use glass not plastic
Its time to get out your bicycle
Its time to walk to work or share a ride
Its time to turn off lights
Its time to recycle old cell phones
Its time to sort out your unwanted goods and give them to charity
Its time to use reusable shopping bags
Its time to read
Its time to take your child to see nature
Its time to play real games with your child
Its time to live your life

War spurns hatred between neighbors, brothers and friends
War takes away our sons and our daughters
Never to be returned to see another day

War for what?
What purpose does it serve?

War stimulates greed in the few and stupidity in the many
The need to control, to steal, to conquer to hate
Boarders crossed, cities crushed and rape and pillage abound

War for what?
What purpose does it serve?

War crushes all in its path, no sacred towers or history remains
War blinds the innocent and leaves children alone, no family no future, who cares?
Graves are fed by its lust for death and tombstones lie abandoned and alone

War for what?
Why do we need you?

War has no place in our world it’s archaic in its nature, outdated and pointless
We follow the drums of power, blinded and brainwashed by their messages of hatred and fear
To follow like sheep, to fight their so-called fight, for freedom, for country, for what?
To win or to loose, for what?
No end is in sight, war after war fuels another and on we go like lemmings to the cliff
As our friends fall and our loved ones are lost, for what?
For the power and the greed of the few who take what they want and leave us in tears
Alone, to grieve, to pick up the pieces, to wait for their call to do their dirty work again
War…. It must End…Today!

As I sit here writing I take a moment in quiet contemplation to pray for all the valiant men and women who gave their lives in wars around the world since the dawn of time and in this year the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I in 1914 I pray for the souls of the lost,
‘Lest We Forget’

Souls are souls no matter what species they come from and it’s our responsibility as the ‘So Called’ most intelligent beings on earth to make sure we are all treated with respect and we save our endangered species from possible extinction!

Let’s start working together, brothers and sisters from all countries coming together for the sake of humanity ‘If Not’, we stand a very good chance of making the human race extinct too!

Some days, I’m not so sure!
I wake up and start my day, I amble out of bed
Feeling tired, lethargic and grumpy
More sleep needed maybe, more time to rest, to lie dormant and be; just me!

A pick me up coffee to raise my spirits, its heady smell and strong taste slapping me awake like a hand to my face
Or does it help suppress my mind, control my senses and take away my creativity
Breakfast…Oh no, that’s for wimps, no time for that in my busy life
Off to the bathroom for me instead, the slow walk to that place of awakening

The mirror lies before me, standing proud and tall the size of my wall, no place to hide
I’m naked for my eyes to see, Ohh a sight for sore eyes and not for the faint at heart
Too much fat hiding my chin, my eyes are red and sleepy, lids wanting to close and sleep once again
Plenty of excess around my middle, my arms my hips, my rear, it appeared overnight, I think!

Is my hair receding even further, is that a spot on my face
I’m no teenager, where have they come from, maybe a memory of day’s gone bye
What’s that hair doing coming from my ears and nose, should it not be on my head
It wasn’t there yesterday, my body it would seem to be out of control

A clean shave is what I need and into the shower I go
The fresh warm water cascading down upon my head
Awakening my body and my soul
Water cleansing, washing away my negativity, bringing life back to my body like rain to a seed

The towel meets my skin, rough and soft all at the same time
The water disappearing into the fabric, leaving my skin soft and dry
A splash of aftershave hits my jaw, awakens my senses to the sweet smell of summer
Stepping into my trousers, and a fresh shirt completes my attire

Looking into the mirror a new man, a new day, a new opportunity
I love my self again, I’m happy in my skin, I’m proud of what I have achieved
I’m off to start a fresh day, out into our wonderful world, more people to help, more spirits to lift
Opening the door, the sun greets my face it awakens me to mother nature, warm and gentle welcoming me once again

Stepping down my steps I feel my breath, catching the fresh morning air
Feet touching the ground with a steady momentum, taking me on to more challenges in life
I hear the sounds of our world, the noise of the city, millions moving towards their day, but if I listen carefully there is so much more to hear

The quietness of nature, birds in song, the soft rustling of leaves as the gentle breeze passes through the trees
Mothers walking their children to school, grandparents exercising in the gardens their slow Tai Chi movements, bringing life to their aging bones
Ladies dancing under the trees, awakening their limbs and bringing smiles of joy to their faces

I am indeed grateful for all I have in my life
I have a gift, the gift of sight, the gift of sound, the gift of smell, and the gift of touch
The ability to realize all that is around me, the gift is LIFE itself
So easy to forget in our crazy non stop world, so easy to loose sight of what we have, So easy to fall into the hands of the media and follow their never ending tales of doom and gloom

I do love my life; I do love my world
I’m thankful and grateful for another day to share this gift with you

Hi Everyone I’m back fro my trip to France, its been a long time for me to be away from my family, my friends and my two beautiful puppies but the trip was great, I was blessed with wonderful weather, I met some beautiful people and I had the opportunity to be in the presence of His Holiness the Eighth Mipham Kunzig Choekyi Nangwa Gyalwang Drukpa the supreme head of the Drukpa Lineage if your interested in Buddhism please take a look at http://drukpa.com

As I slot back into the realities of life back in Shanghai China I thought I would share with you a few photographs I took whilst on my trip to France, I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed seeing and experiencing them?

I will probably need to do a few posts to bring you some of the beauty i experienced in the French countryside

Computers, mobile phones, social media, computer games, on-line studying…. Technology brings us everything these days, which is great because without technology the internet and social media I would not be writing this blog post right now, and without these wonders of our modern world, you my friends in many different countries around the world would not be able to communicate with me with seconds of me pressing the publish button!

So I do have a great admiration for technology and what great benefits it brings to our lives, however I also feel that our children and grandchildren are somewhat missing out on what mother nature and our environment can bring to us, the beauty, the colours, the smells and the sheer enjoyment of spending time outdoors away from technology once i a while should be enjoyed by every child and without your help as a parent or grandparent, our children are likely to stay inside, fixed to a computer screen, chatting with their friends by IM and maybe even reading about or watching videos containing nature.

Give them the opportunity to experience nature and they will, I’m sure, have a wonderful time.

Allow your children and grandchildren to become aware of our environment and how they themselves can help save our planet and its endangered species so they in-turn can pass on this love to their children and grandchildren.

You have often read these words within my posts, but as I work in the field of Psychology and Mindfulness I’m often trying to help people understand who they really are. Even I, after all these years of life must from time to time remind myself who I really am. I often reflect and go deep inside myself through meditations and connect to my inner self, to my very being, to my heart and to my soul in order to understand why I am; where I am; in my life.

You can’t see it with the ordinary eye
You can’t hear it with the ordinary ear
You can’t feel it with the ordinary touch
You can’t separate it from light or dark
You can’t approach it from ahead or behind

It’s like a pyramid of mirrors.
Everywhere you look
You see yourself.
Open the pyramid to see whats inside:
The reflection is you.

To define your life is futile;
Don’t get ahead of yourself
Don’t get behind yourself
Don’t compare yourself.
Just be you and enjoy what’s inside.

It’s strange but it would seem that my memory is slowly being erased as if to make way for new things to come, my childhood for instance is almost erased as I have very few recollections of childhood experiences certainly before the age of 11 or 12 and not so many after up to the age of around 16. I don’t worry about this I just feel that there is a reason why these memories are being erased or locked away in some far-flung part of my brain and I must move forward and not harp back to my past and remember to always live in the NOW ☺

So many things have happened to me over this past couple of years, spiritual awakenings, meetings with some incredible people, injuries to my body to bring me awareness of pain and suffering, illness after illness to all parts of my body, allergies come and go as if to show me the power of God and his divine ability to show me the experiences that other people go through during their daily lives, the loss of dear family members and friends so I can see and FEEL the grief that people are experiencing during this sad time in their lives. Friends and strangers have come to me with their problems, their open hearts and minds have enabled them to share with me their pains, their problems and intimate relationship issues I have learned to listen to their challenges and offer them some words of understanding, words of compassion and words to help heal them from these burdens in their life, these words just come to me in the moment, they are spontaneous as if someone is speaking through me with the utmost clarity and precision. I feel their pain, literally feel their pain, sometimes physically in my body and certainly in my heart but at this time I have no fear, my words just flow, my compassion and loving is at its highest level, I don’t worry, I have no concerns re my words and I know that the message is from a higher place, the message that heals the problem in hand.

Life is so interesting and oh so frustrating!

I have been blessed with some gifts, gifts from God, my higher self, ascended masters, and ascended family members, they have all been there for me although at times I truly feel alone and a little lost on my spiritual journey. I guess it’s the fear of not doing well, the fear of taking the wrong pathway, the fear of ridicule, and the fear of not being understood. Some days I just sit, I meditate and I think, I look up to the sky, I notice the beauty we have in our world, I see and hear the smiles and laughter from the children around me, I see the flowers in bloom, I smell the sweetness that the flowers offer to my senses, I breathe the air that Mother Earth provides for me and I’m in awe of its beauty, in awe to its immense power and I feel lost because I’m just me, a man with no power, no riches but the gifts that God has decided to bestow on me, these gifts are my frustration due to the fear of making a mistake in the name of God. I know this is my ego talking, controlling my thoughts and cluttering my mind with uncertainty, but sometimes you just feel alone in this world; especially when we see so much devastation happening to our planet, watch the suffering of humanity and the rape of our environment in the name of power and wealth by the few. I see people growing fatter on the proceeds of greed, flashing their wealth without a care in the world for our world and our humanity. I know I cannot heal the world on my own and I’m aware that each good deed I do will make a difference to the life of someone, but even so; I still at times feel lost.

Why is it I feel the need for clarification all the time? Why is it I feel lost and alone?

When I go with the flow, live from the heart and follow my intuition; all is then well with my life, don’t get me wrong my life is good, I’m blessed with so much to be thankful for, and I’m certainly blessed with some spiritual healing gifts that I’m certainly proud to possess, I guess I just need some validation, to say I’m on the right track ☺

My wife and I went back to Hawaii again, we both felt the need to get away from the city of over 25 million people and get back to nature, to live for a couple of weeks once again on the Big Island of Hawaii close to the Kilauea volcano, on the lava flows which reach out into the Pacific Ocean, to spend our days and nights swimming with the turtles and watching the stars, to eat healthy food and rest our weary bones in the warmth of the sun….. Absolute bliss ☺

One evening I suggested to my wife that we should drive up the east coast of the big island up through the hills and rainforests that overlook the ocean, up over the dry plains of the north, around the base of the Mauna Kea volcano onto the west coast then find somewhere to stay for a couple of nights before returning eastward again across country with a stop off once again to the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano to watch the sun set and be with the stars in perfect harmony with nature and the universe.

We packed our car with our luggage and snorkeling gear, food and drinks for the road trip and set off on our journey. After a couple of hours on the road my wife wanted to stop somewhere for a comfort break but we were in the middle of nowhere so we continued on driving for a few more miles until we came across a small village, we stopped an looked for a washroom, nothing was to be found, no bars, coffee shops or restaurants were to be seen, we walked up past a few little shops which were all closed as it was a Monday a closing day on the big island, but as if by magic outside a little shop was a huge Amethyst Crystal, I mean big about three feet long! It was a crystal shop and it was open, I looked inside the door and there was a lady sitting in the back, I asked if there was a washroom nearby and she replied, ‘come on in, your wife is welcome to use mine’, I looked around the shop for a few minutes while my wife was in the washroom and was drawn to an even bigger crystal in the middle of the shop, this one had amazing energy and I felt a connection to it although im not a follower of crystals. While I was chatting to the lady she asked if I would like an energy clearing , I of course said yes. I sat on a bed of crystals with my feet resting on a bed of crystals and hugged the massive crystal in my arms while the lady gave me an energy clearing, she said I was special that’s why she asked me and she felt the need to cleanse my system and help me on my way, she said I was here for a reason and we didn’t just happen on her store, she had been placed there to assist me on my journey. We chatted for a while and she gave us directions to a small cove where we could go snorkeling with the turtles and possibly with some dolphins, we thanked her and went on our way.

That night we checked into a hotel on the west coast and went to dinner in the restaurant, the evening was beautiful and it was a full red moon, my wife and I will never forget it, it was stunningly beautiful and the red moon shone brightly on the ocean as we sat overlooking the sea, manta rays were feeding in the bay, so many that we could not count their numbers, their magnificent white underbodies gliding effortlessly through the ocean as they fed right in front of our eyes, it was like God had made this special event just for us, the beautiful evening, the cool breeze from the ocean, the full red moon shining its reflection on the ocean and the giant manta rays feeding, magical and a wonderful evening, never to forget.

We went to bed around 11pm and soon fell fast asleep, I awoke or think I woke to the sidelight flickering on and off at the other side of the room, I remember it clearly as if it was yesterday, the room was bright and clear but someone was sitting on the side of my bed beside me, it was a man, a beautiful man, his face was soft and gentle but there were years of experience etched in his soft face, wisdom beyond my knowledge, my wife stirred and turned towards us and the man held out his hand towards her and said, ‘its ok my sweet he’s with me and he is safe now’, so my wife turned around and went back to sleep, I was in awe of what was sitting next to me, I was trembling with both excitement and concern as to what was happening to me, the man stared to speak. ‘I’m Gabriel and I’m here to share some words with you’, the lights started to flash again and Gabriel said ‘Ok John he’s ok, and yes I know he’s worried about money, it’s not a problem and he will be fine, don’t worry yourself over this, it will be ok’, he was speaking to my recently deceased father who was an accountant and who was always concerned that I and my family made sure we had enough money and not to take any financial risks with our lives. Gabriel continued to talk to me and to say I had been given a job, the job of helping humanity and mother earth and I will find my way to carry out the tasks given to me, I was not to worry as all will come clear to me in stages throughout the rest of my life, I was to be in China right now because there was so much work for me to do there, that is the reason why I was brought there so many years ago. I had been grounded in China and that is where I will stay until the next stage of my spiritual journey, my wife was my guardian angel, my twin flame and she will always look after me. As he stopped speaking my wife got up from bed, walked to the washroom and when she came back she knelt beside me put her face almost to mine as if checking I was still breathing, it was obviously so dark in the room although to me it was like daylight as the light around Gabriel was so bright. Gabriel once again said, ‘He’s ok, he’s safe and he’s with me, go back to sleep’ and my wife once again laid down and went back to sleep. This conversation went on for hours almost until the sun arose, I was fully awake throughout the process and was up well before the sun rose, I was full of excitement and wanting to share my experience and the words that Gabriel had said to me with my wife.

May and I got ourselves ready, we checked out of the hotel before 6am and drove to the beach, the sun was looking beautiful and the ocean was calm, I entered the water and swam freely with the fish observing the turtles and the beauty of mother nature whilst all the time remembering the words of Gabriel and the meaning to my life and my spiritual journey. After an hour or so I left the water, warmed myself with a coffee and we discussed more about what had happened during the night. While we were chatting I spotted dolphins in the bay but way out to sea, this was my chance so I got back in the ocean and swam out into the deep, ahhh to my joy I was joined by dolphins, my heart beating faster and faster as they swam around me with ease in complete beauty and grace. Tears of joy filled my mask as I had once again been blessed, my dreams coming true and my life giving back to me; once again ☺

I won’t go into details of what Gabriel said to me because I believe that his words were meant for me and my wife but suffice to say, this was my true awakening and I must follow my destiny, my spiritual journey and I must do all I can to help those who are in need, to help mother nature and our environment with every breath of my body.

Hi Everyone, If you have not seen this video then please take the time to clear 1 hour and 40 minutes from your schedule, it’s so worth it and it tells some hard facts about our world and how we are being manipulated and controlled.

Please take the time, I promise, you will be enlightened and it will be time well worth spending for your future.

The Big Club, Only The Elite Few May Join!

• Nobody tells me what to do or say!
• We don’t want intelligent people; we want obedient workers who do what they are told!
• We are taking from working families who are struggling to survive taking hundreds of billions of dollars and giving it to millionaires and billionaires!

The crisis, especially now is a crisis of human consciousness, a crisis that cannot anymore accept the old norms. It seems to me, though man has cultivated the external world and has more or less mastered it; inwardly he is still as he was.

During the video a reporter asked a question of a New York Trader re the recent global economic disaster, as follows:-

• Reporter: ‘Can you pin down exactly what would make investors happy and make them feel more confident’?
• Trader: “Ahh, that’s a tough one, umm, see I’m a trader, I really don’t care about that kind of stuff, I go with….., If I see a opportunity to make money, I go with that, so, for the most traders its not about!!. We don’t really care that much how they are going to fix the economy, how they are going to fix the whole situation, our job is to make money from it!
What!…Come on, this is still happening people! We are still trusting these same people and same companies to run our lives, take our money and control or future and our demise!

• There are none who are so enslaved as those who falsely believe themselves to be free!
• Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world….for indeed, that’s all who ever have!
• You exist but do you live?
• Maybe it’s not always about trying to fix something that’s broken; maybe it’s about starting over and creating something better!
• Our species is so divided………
• The earth is the common heritage for everyone to share, not for us all to just dive in and take what we want, but for us to intelligently manage our planet!

The future rests in our hands, YOURS and MINE! It’s what we do that will make and define our future.

What will YOU do to save the Earth today?

We need to use the power of ‘Empathy’ to connect our world together as one voice for Earth 1 Voice for Humanity.

It’s the 1st of May, the sun is shining here in Shanghai, its 10am and already 23c so a great day is ahead of us and to cap it all off it’s National Holiday here in China so we have two extra days off work …yeah 🙂

I’m so full of love, love is in my heart, it’s in my soul and I can see it everywhere, it’s in the eyes of my two little puppy’s when they greet me in the morning, it’s in my wife’s smile and her cheeky grin when she’s making a joke:)

I can see young couples on the street hand in hand, arm in arm, their eyes and body language is full of love, walking in the park, the sweet scent of spring fills the air and the birds and insects are full of love too, its time to get together with friends, with family and enjoy our love for one another. Smiles say it all 🙂

Look for goodness and beauty in your day and you will find them and all your negative feelings like anger and resentment will recede. When you are immersed in all that is good and beautiful around you, you cannot feel angry or resentful . There will be no room in your heart for such feelings, for it will be filled to the brim with joy and gratitude.

Try smiling from your heart. Let this happen naturally as you cultivate your own inner joy from the beauty you see all around you today. This inner smile is vibrant, sparkling and full of life and awareness. You will know that you have done it correctly when someone else smiles back at you 🙂

Go out today, take a deep breath and smile from your heart…Live the day 🙂

During a healing session for my shoulder about 2 years ago when I was still dealing with the recent passing of my dear Father and recovering from my accident and subsequent surgery, the healer said ‘You have a calling towards Hawaii, something very strong is drawing you towards those Islands, maybe you need to go there, stay a while and maybe learn the healing of Ho’oponopono’! I had no idea what Ho’oponopono was or had I ever thought of going to Hawaii mainly because it was so far away from the UK where I was brought up or for that matter from China where I now live, Hawaii in my mind was a holiday destination, a place for surfing, Hawaii 5’O and Magnum PI, TV programs I remembered from my youth ☺ Anyways after the session I felt the drawing towards Hawaii was becoming ever stronger, I immediately started to look at travel information, flights from Shanghai to Tokyo in Japan then a change of flight to Oahu then another flight to the Big Island, a lengthy journey but one in which I seemed destined to follow! We made our plan to visit the Big Island because May and I wanted to see a live volcano and experience the sunset on Mauna Kea at 14,000ft, above the clouds, to me that was my spiritual calling towards these beautiful islands.

Our trip came around quickly and May and I were soon on our way, the journey was a little torturous, three flights and around 20 or so hours and we had arrived on the Big Island, we picked up our car and drove to the villa we had booked, one which I was immediately drawn to called ‘Bali Temple’ situated on a old lava flow close to the ocean, the black volcanic beach, spinner dolphins and Kilauea, the volcano I so wanted to see.

The villa was all we had imagined, built on the lava flow in amongst the coconut trees, surrounded by native flowers from the islands a gentle breeze from the ocean, sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks and a lullaby each night from the frogs and insects living around us, total relaxation which I needed so badly after so much trauma in my life. I had not experienced anything like this before, yes, I had been on many holidays to exotic places, tropical islands in the sun and very remote and peaceful locations; but somehow Hawaii was different, it felt like I was home and I felt totally at ease here. The first morning we decided to visit a local pool, which was served with a mix of fresh water and salt water, the Pacific ocean fed the pool with fresh salt water all day long through a small inlet tube and the fresh water came from underground and was heated naturally by Kilauea the volcano we had come to see, the pool was set in a beautiful natural location surrounded by coconut palms, lush grassed picnic areas, the blue ocean and teaming with small brightly coloured fish, shrimps and crabs fresh in from the sea. I spent a couple of hours relaxing my bones in the lovely warm water floating on the surface and enjoying the sun, I have perfect flotation balance so I can lie flat and float on the surface for hours on end, just meditating. All of a sudden I heard a scream, the scream awakened me from my deep meditation, the scream was also accented by the feeling of my feet touching some rope, I popped up like a cork from my lying position to realize I was being drawn out to sea by the tidal pull, I was on my way out of the pool, the ocean pulling me away. Luckily I was in time, the lady’s scream had alerted me and I was able to scramble back to the safety of the pool! Thank God because my recently fixed shoulder would not have managed to help me swim against the waves out in the open ocean. As I caught my breath the lady came up to me, she introduced herself and told me what she had just witnessed. The lady and I exchanged names and I thanked her for awakening me, in fact; saving me from certain peril!

She saw my surgical scar on my shoulder and asked me what had happened, after a brief discussion she started telling me her life story, where she was from in the USA, what had happened to her throughout her life, the traumatic relationships she had gone through and the cancer that had taken hold of her, the years of struggle she had gone through, the loss of her business, loss of property, the fights and the recovery to now living in Hawaii where she is happy and I’m glad to say cancer free ☺ She said ‘I have never told anyone my story Mark, I’m a private person who just gets on with it, makes the best of the situation and look after myself, but strangely I felt the need to tell you, to share all with you and tell you my life’s story, I don’t know why but you have something special that made me tell you’!

After about an hours conversation, I thanked her for her kindness and we went our separate ways, I got out of the pool and told my wife what had happened; the trauma in the pool and the conversation with the lady, wow! Why did she come to me, and what made her tell me her life’s story? All I remember is I listened and the words I spoke came from within, I know I did not need to think about my answers, the words just flowed like the waves of the ocean, she felt calm and totally at ease with me and our meeting; although brief was very meaningful and it happened for a reason.

May and I fell into the local lifestyle easily, we spent our days, sitting by the ocean, watching the turtles play in the surf, snorkeling in the warm tidal pools enjoying the fresh air, the blue skies, the local produce and the warm sun, perfect and total relaxation in paradise.

During our trip we visited Kilauea the live volcano, we were in awe of its magnificence, its power, the devastation that Pele The Goddess of Kilauea has caused over the years, the energy that she has and the draw that her energy has over the people that visit it. May and I went back many times, we walked over the lava flows, explored the vastness of its rugged and natural beauty, walked through the lava tubes, felt the steam rising from deep below and smelt the pungent air from the depths of Gaia, we took a helicopter flight over the volcano to see its summit, gazed down into the depths and watched the molten lava flowing from Kilauea down to the sea, the steam rising from the ocean as the molten lava enters the Pacific and is calmed by nature itself. I felt my energy increase throughout our visit, I was becoming physically stronger and mentally I was starting to recover from my recent traumas and my surgery.

The Big Island has many communes, groups of ‘New Age’ families and young people living simply and enjoying life in paradise, we visited their markets, brought fresh produce and enjoyed our interactions.

One day my wife and I were driving along a long country road, miles from anywhere heading up the east coast towards Hilo, a hitchhiker was walking along the road with his hand out looking for a ride. Now, we hade been in Hawaii for about two weeks already, we had driven past many hitchhikers and I had never stopped to pick anyone up, this is just not the thing to do back in China or the UK, but for some reason I started to pull over just as we passed this young man, my wife of course asked my what I was doing, ‘why are you stopping’? I replied, ‘I have no idea, but I just know I need to give him a ride’!

The door opened and this young late twenties/early thirties man in shorts with a mass of curly hair, bare chest, bare feet and a beard said ‘ thank you sir, wow! You have an amazing aura, thank you for stopping’, he got in the car, we asked him where he needed to go and he just said ‘just drive and I will tell you when to stop and let me off’, these roads were very remote with thick rainforest type natural deep vegetation either side of the road, as we drove he asked me some questions but said that we were destined to meet, my energy was so strong and he needed to feel it, he said I had lots to do on my journey and said I was doing great work, and I should let go, feel free and enjoy the good that will come from my life and its interactions with others who need my help! A couple of miles further on he said, stop!. My wife and I questioned him because we were literally in the middle of nowhere, he got out of the car and as we drove away, we both looked back and he had gone, disappeared from view, nowhere was he to be seen! My wife and I could not believe what had just happened, we were both a little shocked by the experience, the words that came from the man were very softly spoken, he was obviously very spiritual, his aura and energy very calm and he was a lovely person. Why did I stop and pick him up? Who knows! What was the purpose and meaning behind what he said to me? Who knows! All I know is, I was meant to pick him up and I was meant to learn from him.

I’m feeling drained right now, my energies have been exhausted by the recollections of these two encounters in Hawaii…more to follow soon, I promise ☺

I was recalling a famous Monty Python sketch from ‘The Life of Brian’ When they were debating ‘What did the Romans ever do for us’! And then via tongue in cheek answers one of the actors (John Cleese I think) mentioned, ‘Well, they did bring us roads’!, and another said, ‘Well apart from roads, what did the Romans ever do for us’? and the reply was , ‘Well they did bring us sanitation’! and the reply was, ‘Well apart from roads and sanitation..what did the Romans ever do for us’? and the reply went on with ‘Well, they did bring us law and order’!…and on and on the sketch went, very funny in my opinion 🙂

…Of course the Romans did bring a lot to humanity, not all good I haste to add! but this brings me back to my point about trees.

Trees are the lungs of our earth and we are cutting them down at ever alarming rates, wiping out whole eco systems and many species of flora and fauna in the process. In fact, I wonder how many species have been wiped from the face of our earth that we did not even know existed!

The picture above says it all really, we place so much thought, investment and care for material things like computers and the internet but no real care or investment at all on making sure we have air to breathe!

Next time you exhausted maybe after a run or when you come up to the surface after swimming under water and you take a breath of life giving air….remember, our trees helped give you that breath, that fresh air that fills your lungs and allows your body to continue on its pathway.

Always look on the bright side of life.
[whistling]
Always look on the light side of life.
[whistling]
If life seems jolly rotten,
There’s something you’ve forgotten,
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you’re feeling in the dumps,
Don’t be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle. That’s the thing.
And…
Always look on the bright side of life.
[whistling]
Always look on the right side of life,

We often forget that there is ‘Always’ a bright side to life its just we loose sight of it sometimes.

If your feeling down and low, put on some happy music or go sit in the garden, feel the sun and the gentle breeze on your skin , close your eyes and just breathe, feel the air entering your nose and feel it passing out through your mouth on the exhale, calm your mind and focus on your breath, in and out, in and out, in and out, look inward and listen to your heart, here you will find answers, answers to help you on your life’s journey.